Arrow Video have unveiled their line-up of releases for November.
You’ll think Christmas has come early this November with a raft of cult-tastic titles coming to Blu-ray, DVD and Dual Format courtesy of Arrow Video.
The month kicks off with The Initiation on Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD, one of the best of the college-based slasher movies of the 1980s. One of the later entries into the genre, it had horror fans hooked with its tense stalk ‘n’ slash scenes and it’s surprising twist of an ending.
The horror continues with the Dual Format release of Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf, the campy follow-up to Joe Dante’s The Howling. Starring the legendary Christopher Lee, this is a barmy joy of a horror film that throws everything from werewolf orgies to killer dwarves into the mix!
Heading into thriller territory, November also sees the Dual Format release of William Friedkin’s seminal '80s crime opus To Live and Die in L.A.. Starring William Petersen as well as Willem Dafoe at his villainous best, this is one of the most stylish thrillers of the decade.
Last but by no means least comes Arrow Video’s landmark release of The Driller Killer as a Limited Edition Dual Format SteelBook. One of the most infamous of the video nasties, Abel Ferrara’s psychological horror masterpiece is presented fully uncut and comes with several new, exclusive special features.
The Initiation - on Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD on 7th November
Marking TV star Daphne Zuniga’s debut in a leading role, The Initiation ranks amongst the finest of the college-based stalk-and-slash flicks – now finally restored in glorious High-Definition!
Kelly’s new sorority has a special initiation ritual in store for her – an after-hours break-in of her father’s department store. But what begins as a night of harmless college fun turns sour when, once inside the enormous mall, Kelly and her fellow pledges find themselves locked in for the night… with a deadly intruder stalking the corridors.
Arriving in 1984, The Initiation might have been late to the slasher party, but, alongside the likes of The House on Sorority Row and The Mutilator, it remains one of the stronger entries to emerge in the latter days of the slice-and-dice boom.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new restoration from original film elements
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by The Hysteria Continues
Brand new interview with actor Christopher Bradley
Brand new interview with actress Joy Jones
Original Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn
First pressing only: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic James Oliver
Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf - on Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD on 14th November
How do you follow up a film as iconic as Joe Dante’s seminal werewolf epic The Howling? With a star turn from horror legend Christopher Lee and a leather-clad Sybil Danning (The Red Queen Kills Seven Times), Howling II is more than up to the challenge!
After a young woman dies in violent circumstances, her brother is approached by a stranger (Lee) who reveals that she was in fact a werewolf. The brother’s initial scepticism is quickly diffused when he encounters the fanged beasts first-hand. Now the pair, joined by a plucky journalist, must travel to Transylvania to destroy werewolf queen Stirba (Danning), and rid the world of lycanthropes once and for all.
Helmed by director Philippe Mora (Mad Dog Morgan, The Beast Within), who would go on to direct the equally barmy follow-up Howling III: The Marsupials, Howling II is a campy horror extravaganza featuring killer dwarves, werewolf orgies and ‘80s punk rock galore!
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new digital transfer
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary with director Philippe Mora
Audio commentary with composer Steve Parsons and editor Charles Bornstein
Leading Man – an interview with actor Reb Brown
Queen Of The Werewolves – an interview with actress Sybil Danning
A Monkey Phase – interviews with special make-up effects artists Steve Johnson and Scott Wheeler
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Alternate Opening and Alternate Ending
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
First pressing only: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Blyth
To Live and Die in L.A. - on Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD on 21st November
In the seventies William Friedkin made The French Connection, The Exorcist and Sorcerer. In the eighties he equalled them with To Live and Die in L.A., one of the most stylish thrillers the decade had to offer.
When his partner is murdered just days before retirement, Secret Service Agent Richard Chance (William Petersen, Manhunter) begins an obsessive hunt for his killer – counterfeiter and all-round psychopath Eric Masters, played by Willem Dafoe at his villainous prime.
Beautifully shot by Robby Muller (Repo Man, Paris, Texas) and with a driving score with British new wave act Wang Chung, To Live and Die in L.A. looks and sounds exceptional in this brand-new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative supervised and approved by director William Friedkin
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by director and co-writer William Friedkin
Counterfeit World: The Making of To Live and Die in L.A. archive featurette containing interviews with Friedkin, actors William Petersen and Willem Dafoe, and others
Alternative ending
Deleted scene
Stills gallery
Trailers
MORE SPECIAL FEATURES TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
First pressing only: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anne Billson
The Driller Killer - on Limited Edition Dual Format Blu-Ray + DVD SteelBook, and Special Edition Dual Format Blu-Ray + DVD on 28th November
One of the most notorious of the ‘video nasties’, Abel Ferrara’s exploitation-art-house crossover was judged almost entirely on its video artwork with the film itself left out of the equation. Now it gets the release it deserves with a stunning Limited Edition SteelBook from Arrow Video with the film fully uncut and in all its unnerving, stylish glory.
In a career that has encompassed such controversial classics as Ms. 45, Bad Lieutenant and Welcome to New York, none of Abel Ferrara’s films have quite managed to match the shock, extremity and downright notorious nature of The Driller Killer.
Ferrara plays struggling artist Reno, a man pushed to the edge by the economic realities of New York living in the late seventies and the No Wave band practising in the apartment below. His grip on reality soon begins to slip and he takes to stalking the streets with his power tool in search of prey…
One of the most infamous ‘video nasties’, in part thanks to its drill-in-head sleeve, The Driller Killer has lost none of its power to unnerve and is presented here fully uncut.
Never before has a film been so misunderstood! The exploitative title and video artwork gave the impression of a gore-filled splatter flick but the reality is a much more creeping, stylish psychological thriller examining a man pushed right to the edge and over into violence. Yes, there is gore but not, perhaps, in the way you were expecting.
Abel Ferrara directed himself as Reno, a man who becomes obsessed with the idea of killing people with the titular power tool and eventually carries out his fantasies to unleash his rage. Shocking and unnerving, his rampage is still as difficult to watch as ever and is shown here in its entirety. It makes for uncomfortable viewing but is fascinating as the feature film debut of a director who would go on to become one of America’s most interesting auteurs.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
Limited Edition SteelBook featuring original artwork (2500 copies)
Brand new restoration from original film elements
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by director and star Abel Ferrara, moderated by Brad Stevens (author of Abel Ferrara: The Moral Vision) and recorded exclusively for this release
Brand new interview with Ferrara
Willing and Abel: Ferraraology 101, a new visual essay guide to the films and career of Ferrara by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Cultographies: Ms. 45
Mulberry St. (2010), Ferrara’s feature-length documentary portrait of the New York location that has played a key role in his life and work, available on home video in the UK for the first time ever
Trailer
Collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Michael Pattison and Brad Stevens
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new restoration from original film elements
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by director and star Abel Ferrara, moderated by Brad Stevens (author of Abel Ferrara: The Moral Vision) and recorded exclusively for this release
Brand new interview with Ferrara
Willing and Abel: Ferraraology 101, a new visual essay guide to the films and career of Ferrara by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Cultographies: Ms. 45
Mulberry St. (2010), Ferrara’s feature-length documentary portrait of the New York location that has played a key role in his life and work, available on home video in the UK for the first time ever
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
First pressing only: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Michael Pattison and Brad Stevens
Woody Allen, Brian De Palma, Russ Meyer & More Feature In Arrow Video's September Line-up
Vamps, Slashers, Gore & More In Arrow Video's October Line-up